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About Our Study

Jesus' sermon
on a mountain in Galilee has been the basis of countless lessons over
the years. Still, even with all the teaching, there are many misconceptions
about what Jesus taught. I'm convince that most of them are due to
the way we study Jesus' sermon. Too often we lift an interesting statement
from the sermon and expound on it without considering the context from
which the statement came.

Jesus lived in a time of change.
At his death, the Law of Moses would cease to be in affect and a new law
would come into being. Jesus' teaching explained the transition. He
clarified what the Old Law really taught (as opposed to what the people
had come to believe about the Law). He showed how the new law would change
or not change various aspects of the law.

In these lessons, we will be studying
both the Old Testament and the New Testament. By the time we complete
the lessons, I hope you will come away with two concepts. The first is
that the Old Law is not all that different from the New Law, especially
in its moral instruction. Righteousness and sinfulness have remained the
same over the years. Adultery was wrong before the Old Law, it was wrong
during the Law, and it continues to be wrong today. "For until
the law sin was in the world ...", Romans 5:13. God's law
states that it is wrong and explains why it is wrong. "Moreover
the law entered that the offense might abound," Romans 5:20.
The second concept that you should learn is that God hasn't changed.

"You,
LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens
are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You will remain; and
they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them
up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will
not fail." Hebrews 1:10-12

"Thus
God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability
of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things,
in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation,
who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope
we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast."

Hebrews 6:17

There are thirteen lessons in this
study. Each lesson begins with a reading assignment and is followed by
a series of questions about what you just read. Answer the questions before reading the discussion section. I wish to encourage you to learn as much
as you can directly from the scriptures. The questions are designed to
help you mediate on the reading. You will not be able to answer the questions
by skimming through your Bible. Unless otherwise indicated, all questions
can be answered from the reading. After completing the questions, read
over the discussion section. This section sets the tone for the discussion
we will have in class. It also introduces related passages for your consideration.
The discussion section is followed by another set of questions that will
encourage you to connect what you learned to other passages in the Bible
and to find application of the lesson in your daily life.

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